CD 3281 
.A15 
1859 
Copy 1 







REP OUT 



OF THB 



AGENT OF THE STATE 



UNDER AN ACT OF THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY 

OF MARYLAND, PASSED AT JANUARY 

SESSION 1858, CHAPTER 27. 






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2 DEC1S05 
D.ofD. 



REPORT. 



His Excellency, T. H. HICKS, 

Governor of Maryland. 

Baltimore, Dec'r 16, 1859. 

Sir : I have the honor herewith to make Keport of the Corn- 
mission, as Agent of the State under an Act of the General 
Assembly of Maryland, passed at January Session, 1858, ch. 
27; with which your Excellency was pleased to charge me. 

The documents relating to this, only reached me after I had 
been for sometime at Kome — one of the places indicated in the 
Act aforesaid; and when, in fact, my arrangements for de- 
parture had been already made. This was of the less mo- 
ment since some of the MSS. papers contemplated by the Act — 
and especially the Journal of Father White, ("who accompa- 
nied the first of the Colonists of Lord Baltimore,) expressly 
referred to in a former Kesolution of the General Assembly, 
(Dec. 18?>6, No. 56,) of which the Act in question was, among 
other things a revival, had been otherwise acquired. A copy 
of this Journal, as well as of some letters relating to Jesuit 
Missions in Maryland, are in possession of the Historical So- 
ciety in Baltimore ; having been derived from the collections 
of the College of the Order at Georgetown, D. C, either di- 
rectly, or through the liberality of individuals. 

The only other Document of whose existence at Kome I had 
any memorandum, was a MS. Vocabulary of the language of 
the Linni-Lenape, that great Indian Tribe better known to Eu- 
ropeans under the appellation of Delawares, families of which 
were in occupation of the territory of Maryland at the time of 
the earliest Colonist's arrival. This, I had been informed, 
many years ago, by the Rev. Mr. McSherry, Provincial of the 
Jesuits in Maryland, and perhaps elsewhere, was to be found 



among the archives of the Congregation (or Committee) de 
Propaganda Fide in the Collegio Urbano, or, as it is com- 
monly termed, the College of the Propaganda : and it was one 
of the objects (though not mentioned expressly) of the Keso- 
lution aforesaid, whose introduction had been originally sug- 
gested by myself with a view to this very document. 

I made a point, then, of remaining sufficiently long in 
Kome to explain to His Eminence, Cardinal Bamabo, the 
Prefect of the Propaganda, a letter introductory to whom had 
been courteously transmitted to me by the Most Kev. the 
Archbishop of Baltimore — the interest attaching to the object 
of my research ; and of obtaining permission to examine the 
Archives for the purpose. 

In point of fact, a similar examination had previously 
taken place on application made, at my private instance, by 
His Excellency, Mr. Cass, the U. S. Minister resident at the 
Pontifical Court ; any request from whom, the Kector of the 
College emphatically stated to me, deserved and would meet 
with the promptest and utmost attention. 

I learned, on my arrival at Kome, the fruitlessness of the 
search which had been thus instituted ; but as this might 
have been owing to an obscure indication of the document 
sought for or to want of familiarity with the matter by those 
who conducted the search, I did not hesitate to gratify the 
interest I felt, by devoting the time necessary to satisfy my- 
self; and I spent, therefore, besides what had been taken up 
in the preliminary visits mentioned and in two ineffectual 
ones to Msgr. Bedino, titular Archbishop of Thebes and Sec- 
retary to the Congregation of the Propaganda, an entire 
morning in exploring the places where the Archives were 
kept. 

The papers here are not arranged with the precision and 
sort of classification that their number and variety appear to 
deserve, and that would be very desirable for any one attempt- 
ing to gain a knowledge of their contents ; nor is there any 
list, even — at least known to the Archivist who accompanied 
me (who, however, I believe was not the regular official) — of 
the names of Missionaries, indicating where their labors had 
been bestowed ; such as in the absence of a strict geographical 
distribution of matters, would considerably economize an ex- 
aminer's time. I found two or three references to Maryland 
among the papers I looked over; but none of any importance; 
and as to the special MS. sought for, I came reluctantly to 
the conclusion that it does not exist there. 

Mr. Cass had already followed up a suggestion that it might 
have been transferred, along with some other things, to the 



Vatican ; and another that it might even be at Bologna ; but 
with the same ill-success. 

And, in order to omit nothing, I procured, through Father 
Angelo Secchi, the illustrious Astronomer and Director of the 
Observatory at Koine, access to the Jesuit's Convent — the 
principal seat of the Order ; and learned there from the Ar- 
chivist that recent examinations with a view to certain re-ar- 
rangements of papers, authorized him to affirm with cer- 
tainty the non-existence there of a document like the one in 
question . 

I regret this termination very sincerely ; not only on ac- 
count of the wasted time and effort in reaching it ; but also, 
because it takes away the hope I had for a long while che- 
rished, of a valuable addition to philology as well as to our 
scanty knowledge about our immediate predecessors in the 
Territory we occupy. 

The other aim of the Act — to obtain documents from the 
State-paper Office and Sion College in London — is capable of 
a more satisfactory and complete attainment; and the MS. 
Library of the British Museum, not enumerated among the 
resorts of the Act, contains also matter of Historical interest, 
not to be found in either of the other repositories. But so 
full is the former of the two, that I am inclined to think a 
History of Provincial Maryland may be composed upon the 
materials it contains, quite as exact as, and probably more 
faithful than co-temporaneous history, had it been attempted. 

The contents of Sion College, in this respect, are not very 
copious, and none of the MSS. are of older date than the sev- 
enteenth century. But, as some of them are very interesting, 
and are to be found no where else, I devoted the time neces- 
sary not only for their complete perquisition, but also for 
making out (what did not exist before) a Calendar i. e. an 
Index of the title with brief notices of the contents of each 
paper. A copy of this Calendar I caused to be made and 
presented to the College; as a return for the courtesy which 
had allowed me to compile the original. And I also had a 
transcript made, and brought it away with me, of some of the 
documents; as well because of their intrinsic interest as for 
the purpose of experimenting on and establishing a reliable 
resort for future transcription, there. These and also some 
others, which from the same motives, and in a similar man- 
ner I procured from the State-paper Office, are ready to be 
deposited in the State Library according to the provisions of 
the Act. 

The collections of this latter repository, the State-paper 
Office, are, as might be anticipated, much more extensive. 



The portions relating to Maryland constitute the entire mass 
of nine record-folio volumes, in which the originals have been, 
not always with entire chronological accuracy, hound, and in 
some instances copied; and form, besides, a greater or less 
part of one hundred and eighty-five similar volumes, in which 
they have been mixed with similar documents from other 
Plantations and Proprietory ships. Fifty-eight other bundles 
of sheets spread out, as if ready for binding, but not fastened 
together, nor arranged according to any system, and en- 
dorsed America and West Indies — contain under various titles 
of Maryland, Governors, Orders in Council, Proprietaries, 
Plantations, Memorandums, etc., documents relating to Mary- 
land. Such documents are quite numerous in some of the 
bundles I examined, and they are probably mingled in all. 

An accidental connection that I had with the Foreign 
Office, allowing me to communicate directly, and not as usual, 
through the medium of the Legation at London, procured me 
larger facilities than ordinary ; and, in particular, opened the 
documents subsequent to 1688 (which are only accessible by 
special permission) ; besides giving the privilege of taking 
copies, from time to time, of such papers as I might desire. 
Of this last privilege, I have availed, as yet, only to a small 
extent, and with the prospective aim I just spoke of. 

For the Maryland Historical Society possesses a voluminous 
MS. Calendar, presented to it by Mr. Peabody, formerly of 
Baltimore, but now resident in London, which was presumed 
to indicate all the documents in the State Paper office ; and 
the verification of which appeared to me to be the first step 
proper to be taken. I, therefore, spent more days than I an- 
ticipated would be necessary, in calendaring the contents of 
sundry of the volumes and bundles, taken at random ; to be 
afterwards compared with the titles in the Society's Library ; 
and I should have continued farther, had I not at last met 
with a party, now holding an official station of trust in the 
State Paper office, by whom or under whose direction then, 
in another capacity, the Peabody Calendar had been made 
out, and from whom I received such assurances as satisfied 
me that the list was accurate and complete. I have, besides, 
compared my own titling with the other, and find no dis- 
crepancies greater than what might be expected in indexes of 
the same matter, constructed by different persons. 

We may assume, then, that we know now what is to be 
found in the State Paper Office. 

Next, we have ourselves in the State Library, the Council 
Chamber, and probably the Archives of the Court of Appeals, 
a considerable mass of State Papers ; some, or all of which, 
are identical with those in Great Britain, and copies of which 



therefore are not needed. The second step, then, has been to 
cause to be made out a Calendar of what we already possess 
in this respect. 

Upon receiving, through the Secretary of State, your 
Excellency's approval of this step, I caused it to be entered 
upon : and engaged the Rev. Dr. Allen, whose private His- 
torical researches had made him more familiar than any other 
person with the documents in question, to compile such a 
Calendar. His work is partly completed, and a volume is 
presented along with this Report ; indicating, document by 
document, the contents of all the Historical Records which 
he has been able to find in the Council Chamber, Land Office 
and State Library, as well as of three volumes in the tempo- 
rary possession of the Historical Society at Baltimore. The 
Archives of the Court of Appeals are yet unexplored by him, 
as well as some other possible accidental places of deposit in 
the State House. 

We may, however, assume, in the second place, that we do 
or shortly shall know and have a written list of what exists 
in our own repositories. 

The comparison of this list with that of the office in Lon- 
don, will enable us to make out a third, which will indicate 
our deficiencies, and allow us to designate precisely the par- 
ticular documents to be copied. 

If the interest felt in the subject by the Legislature of the 
State, having control of the necessary funds, should be equal 
to my own or that of a good many other persons, or if it 
should amount only to the conviction that Maryland herself 
should possess a complete collection, original or transcribed, 
of all existing documents relating to her own past history, or 
at least as complete a collection as is possessed by any other 
party, of course the best thing after ascertaining our deficien- 
cies, would be to order them to be supplied, and to take 
measures accordingly. 

In that event, the provisional arrangements which I have 
made in London, are adequate; and an appropriation by the 
Legislature of 500 dollars per annum for the next two years, 
with the balance of the existing appropriation, (two-fifths of 
which only have been used) would be sufficient to be expended 
judiciously until the next session. 

If such an appropriation be made, and the disposition of it 
left under my control, I should advise the application of a 
portion of the existing balance to the preservation and 
arrangement of the papers we already have. 



8 

The condition of these papers, I am sorry to say, is not at 
all creditable to the pride which we may justly have in our 
antecedents, nor is it in accordance with the estimate of value 
which the general sense of mankind places upon authentic 
historical documents ; and I, for one, would very cheerfully 
contribute money, (were it becoming) as I am now contribu- 
ting time and valuable labor, to remove the reproach which 
will otherwise be justly brought against us by succeeding gen- 
erations. 

_ Thirty years ago, or just about the life-time of one genera- 
tion, the mass of such documents in our possession was con- 
siderably larger than I have reason to believe it is now ; and 
if we do not arrest the atmospheric decay to which parts of 
that mass have always been and still are liable, as well as the 
more active destruction of material which apparent careless- 
ness is always sure to engender, and real neglect to encourage, 
we are likely in another generation to have little left besides 
regret at wasted opportunities. 

At the epoch I speak of, viz : 1826-27, I was myself fami- 
liar with a portion of these documents, three large boxes of 
which were deposited in the wood-house of the Treasury office; 
and I used to employ my spare time in examining and arrang- 
ing them chronologically. A genial interest was created 
among those then in authority, at the exposition; and I flattered 
myself, that the very unpretending plan I had formed, would 
be systematically prosecuted to completion. But the sympa- 
thy which I had solicited for it in the beginning, soon outran 
my anticipations: more magnificent, and doubtlessly more 
suitable ideas, were entertained; until the estimate of 5,000 
dollars, stipulated for by an eminent judicial functionary, 
who contemplated the execution, effectually stopped (as I dare 
say it would now) any further progress. I do not disguise, 
and need hardly ask to be excused for, the disappointment I 
felt, or for subsequently leaving these unhappy papers to their 
fate, as some of them, I have no doubt, met in being used as 
kindling material. 

The effort was, however, though abortive, not entirely 
fruitless ; for mainly out of, or along with it, grew, in the 
next year, the establishment of the present State Library : to 
which the papers in question were shortly removed. What 
they underwent there, I had not the means of knowing : some 
examinations, I was told, were made, and certain documents 
were copied into a book or books, which I have seen : but 
under peculiar impressions, entertained by the copyist, after 
transcription, the originals were destroyed. And this is 
another of the processes by which the mass of such papers 



9 

has become less than it was at the time I first made their ac- 
quaintance. 

Indeed, the Bev. Dr. Allen assures me that he has not yet 
come across any such bundled or detached papers of originals, 
or quasi-originals, at all. But, as he also informs me, that 
he has been desired by your Excellency to make a particular 
communication upon the actual condition of these Archives, 
(to which I have suggested that he should add an enumera- 
tion or some estimate of the quantity and character of the 
documents that exist) I need not dwell further on this topic 
here. 

As to the use to be made of these papers, after they shall 
have been recovered and suitably arranged, it would be pre- 
mature to speak now. Other States and nations have uni- 
formly found it advisable to make their contents public in 
some convenient way , and different ways have been adopted 
at different times, and in various places. It is now under 
consideration in England, as to what would be the most suit- 
able method there ; in connection with which topic, I have 
the honor to transmit a printed letter, which was communi- 
cated to me by Sir Francis 5*algrave, the Deputy Master of 
Rolls, whom I had occasion to converse with during the ex- 
amination I was making. 

At present, I believe, the actual steps in that country are 
confined to the ; publication of the Calendar of the various 
documents ; with the view, I suppose, of ultimately taking 
the advice of scholars as to the mode of selection, &c., of 
those documents which deserve publication in extenso. And, 
in illustration of this point, also, I have the honor of trans- 
mitting to your Excellency, to be deposited in the State Li- 
brary, four volumes of what are termed Domestic Calendars 
from 1603 to 1626, which were presented to me through the 
courtesy of the Foreign Office, but which I consider should 
belong properly to the State I represented. There are two 
other volumes in continuation, which I shall shortly receive, 
and to which I shall give the same destination. 

Distinction is made in the epithet, between those documents 
which are Domestic, and others, which like those that concern 
Maryland, would be termed Colonial Calendars. Finding 
that the State Paper office was confining itself entirely to the 
former class, and not seeing the propriety of the same work 
of examination and calendaring with regard to the latter, (in 
which I had a concern) being done over twice, I took occasion 
to propose, in the very outset, that a Calendar of all the 
Maryland papers, should be forthwith set about, under tho 
authority of the office, and that a copy of it should be com- 



10 

municable to the State of Maryland, upon its bearing a fair 
proportion of the expense — which I offered to meet on my 
own responsibility. But it is one of the features (and, not 
seldom, a most valuable feature,) in English methods of doing 
business, to be averse to changing any part of a plan, which 
has been adopted after consideration. And this habitual con- 
servatism, as well as perhaps some local and temporary con- 
venience of the force at disposal of the office itself, prevented 
the proposition from being acceded to — though it was ad- 
mitted by the Deputy Master of the Kolls. Sir Jno. Kemilly, 
was absent at the time, I understood — that had such a pro- 
posal been made earlier, it would probably have led to the 
making out of the Domestic and Colonial Calendars, co-tem- 
poraneously. 

The nearer acquaintance which I afterwards had with the 
documents themselves, would, if it had existed at the time, 
have furnished me with a stronger argument in behalf of such 
co-temporaneous prosecution, than any which I was then able 
to urge. The discrimination in the actual partition of the 
two classes of papers, has not been (perhaps could not be) 
exercised with the precision that enables either to stand dis- 
tinctly and alone. Some of the papers that are now ranged 
under the Colonial head, are important in their relations to 
the so-called Domestic documents ; while divers classed under 
this latter are absolutely indispensable for us to have in com- 
pleting our own collections. 

From some correspondence, had since my return, I incline 
to believe that there would be a greater disposition to adopt 
the method I had the honor to suggest, were it to be again 
proposed ; but I do not see any necessity for renewing it at 
present. Our own course appears very clear and easy, viz : 
to compare the lists of what we have with what exists else- 
where, so as to ascertain what we have not ; and then to pro- 
ceed with supplying our deficiencies by selecting, in order, 
those whose titles indicate them to be of the greatest impor- 
tance, and so on in our convenience, until we shall have col- 
lected all. It might be advisable, if it shall be found not to 
involve too serious an expenditure, to print the Calendar of 
Papers which we already have — a step that would materially 
facilitate and econom ize their subsequent arrangement. 

Such are the details which appear proper to be reported to 
you, Sir, as to what has been done in the matter committed 
to my agency, and such the suggestions in relation to what 
remains to be done. Should these last receive, as I hope they 
may, the approbation of your Excellency, and of the General 



11 

Assembly, I need only add, that I am ready to continue the 
same gratuitous co-operation as heretofore, in giving them 
effect. 

I have the honor to offer assurances of the respect with 
which I remain 

Your Excellency's most obedient servant, 

J. H. ALEXANDER. 



LIBRARY OF CONGRESS 



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